Top 10 Healthiest Salts: Discover Which Is the Best Salt to Use
It's no mystery that salt is a necessary part of a balanced diet, but choosing the healthiest salts for your needs can be a tricky task. When consumed appropriately, salt helps maintain electrolyte balance and supports overall health. However, a quick glance at the selection available is enough to make your head spin as you try to determine which are the healthiest salts among them all.
Cost and availability aside, have you ever wondered what salt is best for you? Out of all the salts peppering the market, how do you determine what is the healthiest salt? This helpful rundown of the 10 healthiest salts reveals their useful properties, providing suggestions for working them into your daily diet and exploring the benefits and drawbacks of each to help you identify the healthiest salt for your particular needs.
Jump to Section
10 Most Healthy Salts
1. Himalayan Pink Salt
At first glance, you might mistake Himalayan pink salt for miniature rose quartz crystals. In reality, these colorful grains are considered to be among the healthiest salts in the world, renowned for their mineral composition, including the iron that gives the salt its rosy hue.
Being less processed than other salts and with a slightly less sodium content than table salt, Himalayan pink salt may be a preferable option for cautious eaters hoping to find a purer salt to include in their diets. Be cautious when shopping, however; this salt can cost a great deal more than table salt, depending on where you make your purchase.
2. Regular Table Salt
Regular table salt, or iodized salt, is likely the type you're most familiar with. Due to its added iodine, it supports thyroid health by preventing enlargement of the gland — a condition known as a goiter. While goiters were once relatively common in the US, fortifying table salt with iodine has helped ensure adequate daily intake and significantly reduced the prevalence of this condition.
Now, the prevalence and availability of iodized salt as a general-use seasoning makes it one of the healthiest salts for thyroid wellness and best salt to use in everyday cooking. On the downside, it’s a very basic salt, which means its flavoring power is limited to simple saltiness rather than lending more intriguing flavors like other salts can.
3. Sea Salt
If consuming highly-processed foods is a concern for you, you might investigate sea salt as one of the healthiest salts to include in your diet. Unlike other table salts that are mined, sea salt is made available through evaporation.
This process allows the finished product to retain more of the trace minerals like magnesium, zinc and potassium. These minerals make consuming less-processed salt beneficial for your health. However, the sodium content in sea salt is still an aspect to be cautious with, as it will have the same impact on your body as any other salt you consume.
5. Kosher Salt
Though many versions of kosher salt adhere to true kosher standards, the name arises from its original use in the drawing blood out of meat to prepare it for cooking, a process called "koshering." The coarser crystals give kosher salt a gourmet feel that can enhance the texture of a dish.
Since kosher salt features less processing than standard salt and doesn't include iodine, it could be a winner for the healthiest salt on your table if iodine allergies are a consideration in your household. Larger crystals also mean less salt per teaspoon, which can also help you use less salt overall to minimize your sodium intake. A sprinkle of kosher salt over accordion potatoes will put just the right tingle in your taste buds while lending a bit of extra crunch.
4. Celtic Sea Salt
Gathered through solar evaporation from clay ponds located on the coast of northwestern France, Celtic sea salt is a low-processed salt that retains a great deal of natural minerals. The grains impart a flavor that’s been described as “oceanic umami” to whatever you sprinkle it on.
Since Celtic sea salt absorbs elements from the region where it's harvested, each batch has a unique composition reflecting its local environment. The more complex flavor and irregular grain size means a little Celtic sea salt can go a long way in your cooking without overloading your sodium intake. This may be the best salt to use in seafood recipes like tuna tataki or blackened shrimp, great bases for testing out its sea-centered vibe.
6. Smoked Salt
The earthy goodness of smoked salt doubles-up on the flavor factor, providing a salt you can use sparingly while still adding incredible taste to dishes like corn cakes and vegan tacos. To achieve the smokey effect, salt is smoked for up to two weeks using aromatic barks ranging from apple to hickory, with each finished salt offering its own unique profile.
If you shop for smoked salt, be sure to look for the authentic version rather than salt infused with smoke flavoring, which may not align with your idea of a low-processed healthier salt.
7. Fleur de Sel
Fleur de sel is a French version of sea salt that appears in many upscale European recipes. Its elegant flake resembles snow and imbues it with a light texture and delicate crunch. The name translates to “flower of salt,” a reference to the crystalline patterns the flakes take on.
As a more upscale option for well-made dishes, you may encounter fleur de sel in gourmet cooking classes near you, where expert chefs are likely to introduce you to new ways to flavor food with minimal use of unique salts. This is another costly salt that you may need to shop carefully for to avoid spending too much.
8. Grey Salt
Grey salt, or sel gris, is another French salt that stems from the gathering of fleur de sel, though grey salt touches the bottom of the collection pan during harvest and attains its characteristic ashy hue. A coarse salt that retains more moisture than fleur de sel, grey salt can be counted among other kosher salt substitutes as a finishing salt to decorate and flavor dishes without drying out the food.
This allows more controlled use of salt in general, a top quality when incorporating the healthiest salts into your kitchen creativity. You may need to shop online for this specialty salt, as not all chain grocers are guaranteed to keep it in stock.
9. Himalayan Black Salt
Himalayan black salt, also known as kala namak, is a highly sulfurous salt, which gives it a distinctive egg-like flavor. In Ayurvedic tradition, it is believed to aid digestion and offer antioxidant benefits, although these claims currently lack strong scientific support. It's a popular add in for vegans trying to recreate egg dishes without using actual eggs.
Plant-based eaters are likely to discover uses for Himalayan black salt while taking online cooking classes that elevate garden-variety vegetable dishes into the realm of gourmet artistry without leaning too heavily on salt content for flavor. But be cautious and use sparingly, as overconsumption can cause stomach upset and a possible increase in the risk of kidney stone development.
10. Red Hawaiian Salt
If you've never heard of red Hawaiian salt, you may be missing out on one of the most intriguing salts on the planet. Also known as alaea salt due to the inclusion of volcanic clay that imparts its rich rusty color, red Hawaiian salt is a staple in native cuisine on the islands.
It is regarded as one of the healthiest salts due to its minimal processing and naturally occurring trace minerals from the clay. While the mineral differences between salts are subtle, many prefer it for its distinctive flavor, appealing color and traditional use in Hawaiian cuisine, making it an excellent choice among less-refined salts.
What Is the Healthiest Salt?
Since all salts contain sodium, qualifying the healthiest salt depends on other factors, such as grain size, mineral content and the amount of processing used to derive the crystals. A less-processed salt like Celtic sea salt or Himalayan pink salt will provide a coarser, larger-grain salt that retains more minerals and carries a distinctive flavor, allowing you to use less salt without compromising enjoyability.
For overall healthiness, iodized salt is not only a wise choice thanks to its iodine content, it’s also affordable and readily available. Of course, taste, cost and function are also necessary considerations when choosing the healthiest salt, which means you may end up with a small collection of salts to alternate in a variety of culinary creations.
When figuring out how to start eating healthy, it’s crucial to know just how much salt to include in your diet. Even among the healthiest salts around, there’s very little nutritional differences to be found. All salts are composed largely of sodium chloride and any trace minerals won’t have as great an impact on your overall health as being cautious with your salt intake and minimizing sodium as much as possible.
With table salt being a common source of iodine in most peoples’ diets, it’s also important to get enough iodized salt to ensure ongoing thyroid health, especially if you prepare the majority of your food at home. Working with your doctor to answer the question “What salt is best for you?” will give you a workable guideline for adding the healthiest salts to your diet.
What Is the Healthiest Salt for High Blood Pressure?
Any sodium consumed is bound to have an impact on blood pressure, even in the healthiest salt. Potassium-enriched salts are some of the healthiest salts and salt substitutes for keeping your blood pressure in check, while iodized salts balance thyroid function which helps regulate blood pressure.
Many advocates consider Himalayan pink salt the healthiest salt for keeping blood pressure under control, due to its mineral content and larger grains, though there’s no conclusive word from experts.
Determining the healthiest salts for your particular blood pressure profile will likely mean reducing your sodium intake overall, possibly by adopting a salt substitute as the healthiest salt option. Whichever of the healthiest salts you opt for are best used in moderation. You should always consult with a healthcare professional when making decisions about adopting the healthiest salt practices for your needs.
What Is the Healthiest Salt Substitute?
Even the most healthy salt may not be sufficient to keep your systems in check, which is where salt substitutes come into play. These alternatives are largely composed of potassium chloride, a lower-sodium substance that can fool your tongue into thinking you’re tasting real salt. They may not replicate the experience exactly, but they’re the healthiest salt replacement for anyone who can’t part with salt entirely.
If you’re hoping to reduce salt in your diet without sacrificing flavor and enjoyment, you can always table your search for the healthiest salts and experiment with herbs and spices to ramp up the tastiness of your favorite recipes instead. A few workable additions that can help curb your salt use include:
- Onion powder — a lighter flavor than real onions in a powder form that incorporates easily into any savory dish.
- Garlic — in powdered or fresh form, this aromatic addition provides a zesty tingle that wakes up your tastebuds.
- Paprika — the gently peppery essence adds complexity to meats and vegetables to provide umami goodness.
- Cumin — with a smoky spirit and intriguing exotic personality, it’s a great compromise for salt in beef and chicken dishes, as well as root vegetable recipes.
- Rosemary — sprightly notes of lush greenness and a touch of vibrant vapor lift everything from fish to chicken to potatoes.
- Dill — this refreshing herb makes an outstanding option if you’re looking for flavorings to serve as celery salt substitutes or replacements for other green-leaning salt-based additives.
Sodium is a standard part of many foods you eat daily, so identifying the healthiest salts for your needs starts with understanding your health goals. Choosing a salt that aligns with those goals can help support overall well-being.
Since salt is just one element in your flavor toolkit, you can experiment with using less — even the healthiest salts — and enhance dishes with herbs, spices and aromatic vegetables. This approach allows you to build satisfying flavor without relying too heavily on sodium.
Choosing the healthiest salt for your specific needs shouldn’t be a guessing game. It’s important to consult with your physician or nutritionist to identify the best option for your health.
Once you know which salt is the healthiest for your purposes, you can start experimenting with it in your favorite dishes. This gives you a chance to explore new ways to add flavor while incorporating trace minerals that support your well-being.
For even more ways to explore your favorite foods, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT?
Join the conversation.